January 2009

At Abraxus you won't find espresso machines and People magazine.

2008 brought a lot of food action to Ballard, which sometimes seemed to mostly involve pizza. Veraci, Ristorante Piccolinos, and a host of competitors (Snoose Junction, Via

Verde, Zaw, Madame K's, Sopranos, the Pagliacci chain, Pizza Time, 206) fight it out as Ballard contends for the "Seattle neighborhood with the most pizza per capita" award.

Who is eating all of this pizza? Are the condo dwellers actually that pizza-crazy? The next year will show how well the condo-people can keep afloat the massive Ballard Pizza industry.

I was reading a magazine in bed last night and my wife was reading some pulp fiction . It was about 10 thirty and I needed a pencil to mark a paragraph I wanted to pass on to our kids so I asked her if she had a pencil. It is a harmless habit some men acquire who have accommodating wives. She usually has a knack of knowing where everything is, in the car, in the rec room, or even in my shop.

Photos by Michael Harthorne and Allison Espiritu

All around Ballard, people welcomed Barack Obama as their 44th President of the United States.

What did you do on this historic day? Please post your plans below, including any other Ballard event you would like to share.

Editor's note: This article is from Seattle City Council member Nick Licata's Urban Politics newsletter.

Dig that tunnel.

Chants of "drill, baby, drill" from this past fall echo in my mind, as the near unanimous political and editorial constellations line up to support the deep bore tunnel option for replacing the Alaska Way Viaduct. Although, technically, I suppose it would be "bore, baby, bore."

In any case, unlike Governor Palin, the clear winners in this billion dollar poker game are Mayor Nickels, Gov. (Chris) Gregoire and King County Executive Ron Sims.

While many businesses in Ballard are struggling to survive with the economic downturn, some industrial businesses have actually benefited.

Sunergy Systems is one company that is doing well, despite the economy.

Howard Lamb, the owner, suggested that people see solar power for their home as a means of risk-free investing.

"People don't want to be held to the whims of the stock market," said Lamb, "Instead they are investing in the equity of their home."

There are a lot of incentives to installing solar panels at your home, according to Lamb, which has

Neighborhood group Friends of Greenwood Park is hoping to receive funding to develop a long-term plan for four open plots along the eastern edge of the current Greenwood Park.

The group finalized their application for a Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant from the city last week and wants to use the land to fulfill the community's growing interest in a neighborhood P-Patch or a multi-faceted expansion that would cater to a number of user groups.

Seattle Parks purchased two of the four plots, located on Fremont Avenue North from North 87th Street to North 90th Street, in 2005

Plans to develop an eight-story, 260-unit condo at the old Denny's site on the corner of Market and 15th has been put on hold due to recent economic troubles, according to a representative of the developers, Rhapsody Partners.

Louis Richmond, a spokesperson for the developers, said financing is still being sought and there is still a desire to move ahead with the project.

Have you heard? Have you seen? Basketball referees are "whistling pink" in January.

Through January 24, basketball officials throughout King County will blow PINK WHISTLES at all high school, junior high, and middle school games. The goal is to call attention to Breast Cancer... and to encourage students, parents, and fans of the game to make a financial contribution to organizations that support research to end this terrible disease.

The Seattle Officials'-Women's Basketball and Pacific NW Basketball Association comprise over 300 referees.

After 20 years in Ballard and a half-mile move I'm the "new kid" again. I have never liked being new. As I learned in elementary school when I was the only 4th grader affected by changing the town boundaries, a half a mile can make a huge difference. At least I have distant moving experience whereas the cat has only known one home since leaving Seattle Animal Shelter.